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Progesterone- and Dexamethasone-Dependent Osteoprogenitors in Bone Cell Populations Derived from Rat Vertebrae Are Different and Distinct¹

Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (Y.I., J.N.M.H.), Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1G6; and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine (Y.I.), Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Yoichiro Ishida, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 1144 Kogushi, Ube-City, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan. E-mail: myishida{at}ymg.urban.ne.jp

Previous experiments have demonstrated that bone cell populations derived from explants of lumbar vertebral bone of adult female rats contain osteoprogenitors that require dexamethasone (Dex) or progesterone (Prog) to proliferate and differentiate into fully differentiated bone-forming osteoblasts. We now show that the Prog-dependent population cannot be detected in male rats after sexual maturation, but is present in prepubertal rats of both sexes and can be induced in adult male-derived populations by culturing the explants in medium containing 17ß-estradiol (10^-9–10^-8 M). This suggested that the Prog- and Dex-dependent osteoprogenitors in adult female-derived populations were probably distinct populations and that the survival of the Prog-dependent osteoprogenitors and/or their ability to proliferate are dependent on the presence of estrogen. We then proceeded to prove this by using replica plating. When one of the paired colonies duplicated was cultured in medium containing Dex (10^-8 M) and the other in medium containing Prog (10^-5 M), 5.0% of duplicates formed bone in Prog only, 11.1% formed bone in Dex only, and 3.4% formed bone in both Prog and Dex. In all cases the size of the bone-forming colonies in Dex-treated cultures was larger than that in Prog-treated cultures, indicating that the effects of Dex on osteoprogenitor proliferation are greater than those of Prog. The results demonstrate the existence of three classes of osteoprogenitors in adult female rat-derived bone cell populations: a class responding to Dex only, a class responding to Prog only, and a class responding to both Dex and Prog. The results also indicate that the effects of Prog are not mediated by Prog binding to the glucocorticoid receptor and imply that Prog plays an important role in maintaining bone mass through regulating the class of osteoprogenitors responsive to Prog.

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